A tornado warning issued for parts of several Middle Tennessee counties was canceled before 3 p.m.

The National Weather Service issued the warning for areas near Watertown, including:

Southwestern De Kalb County

Northeastern Rutherford County

Southeastern Wilson County

Northern Cannon County

A tornado warning means a tornado was spotted either in person or indicated on weather radar.

Weather

In a tornado warning situation, the NWS encourages people to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building, and to avoid windows.

If in a mobile home, a vehicle, or outdoors, it is safest to move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.

Warnings typically encompass a much smaller area (around the size of a city or small county) that may be impacted by a tornado identified by a forecaster on radar or by a trained spotter/law enforcement who is watching the storm.